CHAPTER XXIII
PIG OR PORK?
The spring did perfectly wonderful things to the land adjacent toHighland Hall. It was really time that _something_ was happening toimprove that rather cheerless prospect. During the fall and wintermonths, the landscape had been mostly brown and gray and black, oftenmore or less disfigured with patches of dingy snow; and a general mistybleakness surrounded the big, rather ugly building. But, with the comingof spring all this was changed. One could now see why the schoolprospectus had stated that Highland Hall was "beautifully located."
The building stood at the top of a broad knoll. The level portion ofthis was covered by a well kept lawn--tall, lanky Charles, with his sandyhair on end and his angular elbows greatly in evidence, might be seengalloping over it with his lawn roller, getting certain bare spots readyfor seed. The sloping banks were grassed also but this grass grew at itsown sweet will; and then, quite suddenly it _wasn't_ grass but longstemmed violets. You could gather tremendous bunches of them and stillthere were millions left--popular Miss Blossom was fairly besieged withbouquets. Then, farther down the hillside were great patches of snowybloodroot and miniature groves of mandrake with their hidden, creamy,heavily perfumed cups. There were wild crab-apple trees wreathed withwonderful pink and white buds and blossoms. The edges of the unsightlyditches along the road suddenly became brilliantly green and pink withoxalis and there were sheltered nooks along the margin of the grove thatwere blue with mertensia or purple with the spider lily. Even the dryprairie was bursting forth with bloom; the lovely lavender of the bird'sfoot violet and later the showy blossoms of the shooting star. Therewere gorgeous blue jays and orioles in the trees and meek gray doves inthe hedges.
All the girls except Henrietta seemed bubbling over with happiness thesedays. Even Sallie, dreadfully shabby as to clothes and growing shabbier,was more cheerful, because she loved the spring season at Highland Park;and because she had never before possessed so many warm friends amongthe pupils. But Henrietta was visibly drooping. Her eyes wore astrained, anxious look and every day at mail time, her brilliant colordeserted her, leaving her pale and trembling and quite unlike her usualvivacious self. At sight of a telegram arriving for Doctor Rhodes--and heoften received as many as four a week--Henrietta's lips would turnabsolutely white. And several times, on the days when her grandmother'sletters came with no news of her still missing father, the girls hadfound her weeping. It was decidedly unlike Henrietta to weep.
But even Henrietta loved the wild flowers. Sallie knew where to find thechoicest blossoms and Doctor Rhodes, glad to have the girls spend theirleisure hours outdoors, even if it did increase their appetitesalarmingly, extended their bounds a good half mile toward the south sothe girls could roam at will.
One beautiful day, when school was dismissed earlier than usual, Mabelasked permission to take her friends as far as the cottage thatcontained Charles's interesting family.
"I'm awfully fond of children," explained Mabel. "I get lonesome forthem when I don't have any. Several times I've given candy and littlepresents to Charles to take home to those cunning babies; but I'm justdying to see them again and some of the girls want to go, too."
"I've no objection to your _seeing_ them," said Doctor Rhodes, with afriendly chuckle, "but you are strictly forbidden to accept anyinvitations to stay with that family and you are not to bring any ofthem home with you."
"I won't," promised Mabel. "Thank you ever so much for letting us go."
The long walk over the blossoming prairie was wonderful and the otherdelighted youngsters thanked Mabel for planning the trip. The childrenat the cottage proved interesting and sweet and the girls loved them.Tommy remembered Mabel and said: "Please stay wiz us, you is nicer thanLizzie," which pleased Mabel very much indeed, though of course she_didn't_ stay. The shy twins soon became friendly and even the baby wassmiling and responsive. Mrs. Charles had been making cookies andgenerously passed them around. Then Maude looked at her watch and saidthat it was time to start back.
The girls decided to go home by the road that wound along over theprairie and somewhat west of the more direct but pathless route they hadtaken _to_ the cottage. It was longer but Sallie said that interestingthings grew along the edges. Even Sallie, however, was surprised at onething they discovered. Mabel, who was trudging sturdily along, a littleahead of the others--and of course she had a right to lead the processionsince it was her party--suddenly stopped short.
"Mercy!" she gasped. "What's that!"
"What's _what_?" asked Sallie, crowding to the front. "Is it a newflower? Oh! Why, that looks like a little pig!"
"But 'way out here!" cried Maude. "It couldn't walk so far and there areno farms along here."
"But the farmers 'way south of here," returned Sallie, "send them in tothe packing houses or down to the trains along this road. Probably thisone got spilled out of somebody's wagon and the driver never missedhim."
"No doubt," said little Jane Pool, "the other piggies squealed so hardthat the poor man never heard the cries of distress from this one."
"It's so little and pink and clean," said Bettie, admiringly.
"But so naked," objected Marjory. "It really seems as if it ought to bewearing baby clothes--little woolly ones. I'm glad it's a warm day."
"See," said Mabel, "it's sucking my finger--I think it likes me."
"It's hungry," said Sallie. "It seems too bad to leave it here tostarve."
"But _we_ don't want any pig," objected Henrietta. "I don't think I_like_ pigs."
"I'm sure _I_ don't," said Maude. "Come on, girls, let's climb up theladder to that windmill over there and walk all around it on thatledge--I think it's wide enough. We don't want to be bothered with anypigs."
But the lonesome little pig had no intention of being left behind. Ittrotted along at the girls' heels and squealed piteously in its effortsto keep up.
"Poor little thing," said Bettie, "it's just starving."
"And tired," said Mabel. "Every minute or two it loses its footing androlls right over. It thinks it belongs to us."
"You're afraid to pick it up and carry it," teased Marjory.
"I'm not," said Mabel. "I'm going to do it. The rest of you can climball the windmills you want to, but I'm going to be kind to this pig."
Whereupon kind Mabel picked up the pig and carried it. At first,however, the little animal squirmed and struggled so much that Mabel hadall she could do to keep from dropping him.
"But what are you going to do with him?" queried Bettie.
"Oh, I'll just slip around to the kitchen door--if I ever get thatfar--and ask Charles to take care of him."
"Charles won't be home," said Sallie. "That's the time of day he goes tothe station to get the bread."
"Then I'll take him up to my room," said Mabel, whose pet was now quitesatisfied in her arms. "Perhaps you could bring up a cup of milk forhim."
"Mabel never comes home empty handed," laughed Marjory. "And she isn'tparticular what she brings, as long as it's alive."
"Won't Isabelle be pleased?" laughed Maude.
"Lend him to me, Mabel. I'll put him in Miss Woodruff's bed."
"No you won't. I'm not going to have him abused."
"Well, beware of Isabelle," giggled Marjory.
Forewarned is forearmed. Mabel succeeded in slipping the pig into herbedroom closet without disturbing Isabelle who was busy writing what shewas pleased to call "a poem." She sent them, as she confided to Mabel,to her friend Clarence. Of course, when Isabelle had a pencil in herhand and that faraway look in her eye she was not likely to notice merepigs.
Sallie had contrived a nursing bottle for the infant. Mabel, seated onthe closet floor, succeeded in feeding her charge and presently made anest for him by dumping the stockings out of her round mending basket;but to her surprise the pig, not being built that way, refused to curl.His tail curled beautifully but the rest of him wouldn't. In no way, infact, was he as accommodating an animal as a kitten or even a puppy.
"If
he'd only just _cuddle_," groaned Mabel, "he'd be so much morecomfortable to live with."
It was somewhere about midnight when Isabelle became aware of the pig.Mabel had been aware of him for a great many sleepless hours. Either hehad had too much to eat or not enough. Perhaps he was only lonesome. Atany rate he was quiet only when Mabel held him close to her own warmbody and kept one or more of her fingers in his mouth. She had spentpart of the night on the floor among the shoes; but the floor was hardand Mabel was sleepy; so finally she had crept into her own bed andtaken the infant pig with her.
But nothing she could do seemed to please him. His squeals became louderand louder and more and more frequent. At last one of his very bestsqueals escaped from under the bedclothes.
"My goodness!" gasped Isabelle, suddenly sitting up in bed. "What'sthat! Was that you, Mabel?"
"No," returned Mabel, truthfully. "I didn't speak."
"It wasn't a 'speak'--it was more like a squeak."
Piggy chose that moment to let out a smothered "Wee Wee!" in spite ofMabel's restraining hand.
"Mabel, it _is_ you. Are you sick?"
"I--I'm not sleeping very well," offered Mabel, trying not to giggle."I'm quite restless."
"I thought I heard you eating things in the closet while I was writing.Perhaps you've made yourself sick."
By this time Mabel was about helpless with laughter--it was so amusing tobe taken for a pig. But just then her charge took a mean advantage ofher. He squirmed suddenly, rolled out of bed and landed with a thump andan astonished grunt on the floor.
"My Uncle!" gasped Isabelle, leaping out of bed and switching on thelight. "Are you killed!"
"For goodness' sake keep still," growled Mabel. "It isn't me--it's mypig!"
"For goodness' sake keep still," growled Mabel]
The pink pig scuttling here and there across the floor was too much forIsabelle. She plunged into bed again and sat there with horrified eyeson the pig. Suddenly, as he dashed in her direction, she squealed andthe pig squealed and they both squealed--a regular duet.
Miss Woodruff in her red flannel nightdress was the first to arrive atthe party.
"What!" she demanded, pausing in the doorway, "does _this_ mean?"
Piggy chose this moment for a mad dash for freedom. In his flightthrough the doorway he brushed the lady's bare ankles. Miss Woodruff'swild shrieks were added to Isabelle's.
Of course everybody in the West Corridor was awake by that time. BraveVictoria Webster, now that Gladys was gone, was again rooming withAugusta and Lillian Thwaite. Pausing for nothing, Victoria rushedthrough the dark halls toward the portion of the house occupied byDoctor Rhodes. Her lusty cries of "Fire! Fire!" brought all the Rhodesfamily in bathrobes of assorted colors, to the West Corridor.
By the time they arrived, Lillian and Augusta had added their shrieks toIsabelle's.
"Stop this noise," commanded Doctor Rhodes, shaking Augusta. "What areyou screaming for?"
"I don't know," chattered Augusta.
"What are _you_ screaming for, Lillian?"
"Ow! Ow! I--I don't know."
"Miss Woodruff--"
"Why!" gasped Miss Woodruff, suddenly remembering her scarlet attire andbolting for her own room, "I don't know."
"Well, Isabelle, what are _you_ screaming for? You seem to be the last."
"I--I saw a pig!" shuddered Isabelle.
"Nonsense!" returned Doctor Rhodes. "You _couldn't_ have seen a pig.You've been having a nightmare--you ate too much roast pork for dinner."
"No, no," insisted Isabelle, "it _was_ a pig."
"There's no such animal as a night pig," returned Doctor Rhodes, withdignity. "Now get back to your beds, all of you, and don't let me hearanother sound from any of you tonight, about pigs or anything else."
Mabel, tired as she was, stayed awake for an hour wondering what hadbecome of the poor little pig. Although she listened with all her ears,not even the faintest squeal could she hear. Finally she dropped asleep.
"Mabel," said puzzled Isabelle, the next morning, "I really _thought_ Isaw a pig last night. Did _you_ see one?"
"I thought I _heard_ one," returned Mabel, who was busy in the closet,stuffing a milky bottle into her pocket. "But of course no pig couldclimb all those stairs."
"That's so, too," said Isabelle. "It _may_ have been that pork--I forgotto eat my apple sauce."
"I'm sure it was pork," agreed Mabel, wickedly and truthfully.
At breakfast time Mabel found a note under her plate.
"Dear Mabel: Found at 7 A. M. one pig rooting under the dining room table for crumbs. Charles is building a pen for him in the back yard and all is well--thought you'd like to know.
Sallie."
At recess time, Mabel led Isabelle to the new pig pen. Maude and littleJane Pool were looking over the edge.
"Jane and I thought somebody ought to give him a name so _we_ did," saidMaude, with a wicked glance at Isabelle. "Don't you think 'Clarence'would be a sweet name--for a pig?"
Then, with a gleeful shout, the naughty pair sped away to eat pie underthe porch. And Sallie appeared with a message for Mabel.
"Doctor Rhodes wishes to see Miss Bennett in his office," announcedSallie.
"I'm told," said Doctor Rhodes, when Mabel stood demurely before him,"that Highland Hall has mysteriously acquired a pig. It occurs to methat you may be able to shed some light on the subject."
"Yes," said Mabel, "you've guessed right. I brought that pig home.Somebody had to--he was _so_ lonesome."
"But didn't I tell you--"
"You didn't say _pigs_. You said any of Charles's family."
"Hum--so I did. And you kept that animal in your room?"
"I tried to."
"Then Isabelle really saw a pig?"
"She wasn't sure at breakfast time," giggled Mabel.
"You haven't any _more_ pets concealed on the premises, I suppose! Anextra pig or two or a young hippopotamus or anything like that?"
"No," giggled Mabel, "and I don't _want_ any more for a long time. A pigis a fearful responsibility."
"You've been punished enough, I see. Well, don't let it happen again."
"I won't," promised Mabel, cheered by a certain twitching line in DoctorRhodes's cheek. "I've had enough pets to last a long time--besides oneroommate is just about all Isabelle can stand."